Donna Downey Journals

For the last few years I have been following the blog of a fellow artist, Donna Downey.  Until recently she published videos once a week called "Inspiration Wednesday" in which she would create a mixed media page in a journal.  What I loved about her videos was that she talked about her thinking while she was working.  I loved hearing her work out problems that she ran into, describe her feelings about the piece as it progressed, and grapple with the issue of when the artwork was actually finished.  Although she doesn’t make the "Inspiration Wednesday" videos any longer, the old ones are still accessible through her blog.

Donna always did her "Inspiration Wednesday" projects in a special journal that she created herself.  I decided to make a Donna Downey journal for me.

The journal I made is cloth and canvas with
2 signatures of cardstock paper.

Donna Downey journals have "inclusions" which
are index cards, envelopes, and other things.

I started with washi tape and alphabet
stickers.  I used masking tape to keep
paint from seeping between the pages.

I spread acrylic paint all over the
page using my fingers.

Finally I added a face.
"She dreams in colors."

I also made a Donna Downey journal for my BFF as a present.  I hope she sends me pictures of the pages she makes in her book.

- christina